Huntingtree Primary School

Maths

Core Subjects:

Maths

Overview

Our approach to the teaching of maths is based on the mastering of a reduced number of priority objectives, which are grouped into blocks. These blocks are then built upon cumulatively throughout the year. At the end of each 'block' of teaching, a check (a test) is carried out. A question level analysis is carried out to identify individual children's areas of strength and weakness - which then feed directly into the medium term planning for the next period of teaching.

The checks themselves are never actually seen by the class teacher. This is to ensure the integrity of the tests and to allow the same questions to be included in the next check. To make sure there is clarity around the level of demand of the checks and a common understanding of the format/style of questions, an exemplified curriculum has been created for each year group. This exists in parallel to the actual assessment questions on the checks - similar in format and level of demand.

The Key Performance Indicators, as published by the NAHT, were used as a starting point for our identifying priority objectives for maths, but made more relevant for Huntingtree Primary School. A number of decisions were made based on knowledge of our children and knowledge of child development, such as including a greater focus on telling the time, up to year 4. In essence, though, the Huntingtree Priority Objectives are an edited version of the NAHT KPIs.

In order to ensure that there is comprehensive coverage of the National Curriculum for maths, we have also devised a list of ‘One Hit Wonders’. These are objectives that we judge to need only a light touch approach.

The Maths Lesson: Pathways

The pathways model is one which we have developed in line with a mastery approach. Its aim is to ensure that all children have a pathway through the lesson that starts at the right level and is well designed to allow each child to make progress no matter what their staring point.

After input and modelling, an assessment task is carried out to find out which children are ready for the blue practice task. Any children assessed as needing more support complete the green SEN task, irrespective of which table they sit on. Any child starting on green has the chance to move on to blue. Any child on blue, if assessed at needing more consolidation will be asked to complete the extra practice task. When the blue task(s) have been completed to the teacher's satisfaction, children move on to an application task - where the children have to use the skills they have been practising in a new context. A further application task exists as an extension for those children who have acquired the concepts to a degree whereby they are in need of further deepening of their learning.

Times tables

The learning of times tables: the committing the facts to long term memory and the practising of recall has never been more important than now. With the increased expectations in every year group, children who are not able to recall basic number facts are left at a distinct disadvantage.

TT Rockstars Championship Final - Michael vs Lucy

After 4 gruelling rounds of competition, Michael and Lucy made it as finalists for the inaugural Huntingtree TT Rockstars Championship Final. In a very tense encounter, between two outstanding mathematicians, only one person could emerge victorious.

A huge congratulations to all the pupils that participated in the Final rounds of the TT Rockstars Championship.

Calculation

We have produced a sequence of video tutorials to explain our calculation policy. These are available here: